Sunday, January 01, 2006

I finished Black Hole, which is creepy and trippy. Many reviews reference Cronenberg which makes sense. The book is set in the 70s and a strange plague is causing teens to mutate in rather nasty ways. There is also heavy emphasis on labial imagery. The art, in general, made me think more of Lynch as it is bizarre but heavily symbolic. Graphic novels are closer to movies than books since they are consumed quickly and have images as key components, so it makes sense to compare to directors. If you have stayed away from graphic novels because you think it is all caped crusaders, try this one. Its not clear if the strange happenings are metaphorical or are all in the heads of the heavily drugged protagonists. The author/illustrator does much of the art for the Believer, so you may recognize his style.

Check out this bizarro graphic novel I found at the library today. Apparently a combination of Edward Gorey and Alfred Hitchcock. Does it get any better?